WITH the rise in mobile technology, digital books are become more popular, and this sometimes leads people to call publishing an outdated industry. However, statistics show that publishing is still a highly productive industry – UK book publishing sales made over £3.3bn in 2014. And what is especially interesting for students around the world is that over 40% of the UK publishing industry’s profits came from exports of physical and digital books. So if you are considering a graduate job in publishing, be reassured that the business is thriving – check out these 3 routes to an international publishing career.
International Publishing Degrees
English literature, from Shakespeare to Rowling, is internationally admired and studied, and this certainly helps with the exportability of UK publishing. But the English language itself is also consistently important around the world, with many international companies using it for business transactions. This gives UK publishers a great competitive advantage. Non-English-speaking countries are often creating new opportunities for UK publishers, as English increasingly becomes the preferred second language, and this is part of what is driving the large amount of exports.
Any publishing degree is going to have some focus on the international aspects of publishing. However, if you know you want specialise and work in international publishing, there are degrees that can help you with this. This MA from City University London and the Nottingham Trent MA in Management and International Publishing both build on an undergraduate degree with an international focus. The International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes has international connections, while courses such as the one at Kingston University have a focus on publishing as an international industry. Kingston University also has the option to study a foreign language alongside your course, which will add to your international appeal as an employee.
Another option would be to study abroad, or choose a publishing course that also offers part of the degree abroad, such as this one offered by the University Bergamo in Italy. You can study in the local language, but many international universities offer courses in English. The majority of UK exports still go to Europe, and this would make a European degree very useful.
Publishing Law
Publishing law is a complex business, and this only becomes trickier when looking at it internationally. Copyright is perhaps the most important area of publishing law, but other aspects such as distribution rights, fees, royalties and moral aspects all need to be looked after. The UK is a key player when it comes to publishing law. The UK's Publishers Association is leading the battle against international piracy and one of the most important annual events for publishing negotiations is the London Book Fair. Publishers, booksellers, literary agents, librarians, and media and industry suppliers all attend this book fair to arrange rights negotiation, as well as the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels. Over 25,000 people from 113 attended the fair in 2013.
Those who wish to specialise in publishing law will have to study a law degree, and look for courses that offer publishing law modules or postgraduate specialism. This will involve looking at different international laws when it comes to publishing. However, whatever aspect of publishing you go into, you will come across aspects of publishing law and it may be worth looking into the basics.
Translations
In 2012, there were 2,611 translated titles published in the UK. The international market for works in English from other cultures, such as African, Caribbean and Indian literature, is increasing, with smaller publishing companies such as And Other Stories and Alma Books specialising in new translations. Translations from English into other languages are even more common.
If you are fluent in more than one language, you already have an advantage in the international market, and translation could be an interesting route to consider. There are various different ways that you can study translation. You could consider studying literature in a foreign country, or you could look at translation courses in your own country. There are also many literature courses that focus on specific languages, in particular Spanish Literature, Arabic Literature and Russian Literature. These will all have aspects of translation.
Some courses, such as this Comparative Literature BA at Kent University, allow you to look at a wide variety of literature from around the world, both in the original language and translation. Other courses teach literature with a specific emphasis on translation and re-writing from another language – for example this Masters at the University of Essex teaches the techniques of professional literary translation. General translation courses, which look at both verbal and written translating for multiple purposes, are also available for most languages, such as the MA offered by Surrey University which is accredited by the European Masters in Translation (EMT) network.
An International Career
International sales of books were worth £1.45bn to UK publishers in 2014, and despite many people’s misconceptions, physical books are still the largest earner (UK publishers exported over £1.2bn worth of physical books, whereas digital titles bought in £203m.) Whether you specifically decide to go into international publishing, or publishing in general, this is a career that is going global. Having an idea of the international market can only help you in your career.
